“The Virginia PTA shall… educate their local school boards and superintendents on the importance of quality sleep and the positive impact that later school start times would have on the health, safety and productivity of teens,” Virginia Parent Teacher Association, 2006.

“Many adolescents are not getting the recommended hours of sleep they need on school nights. Insufficient sleep is associated with…health–risk behaviors including substance use, physical fighting, and serious consideration of suicide attempt…delayed school start times may hold promise as one effective step in a comprehensive approach to address this problem,” Centers for Disease Control

“I could find nothing but support from all my sources, including physicians, teachers and parents. The Virginia Chapter of the AAP goes on record as supporting later school start times for all Virginia high schools.” Dr. William Rees, President of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians

“Adolescent athletes who slept eight or more hours each night were 68 percent less likely to be injured than athletes who regularly slept less.” Abstract presented at American Academy of Pediatrics.

Project Goals

Develop several workable scenarios to start FCPS high schools after 8:00 am to improve students’ mental and physical health, academic performance, and safety. Work with leadership within Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to develop the proposed workable scenarios into a “Blueprint for Change” that will be considered by the FCPS School Board in early 2014. […]

Community Feedback

Thank you to everyone who submitted their valuable feedback to our poll, but the survey is now closed. If you were not able to attend one of our town hall meetings the presentation can be found here. A message from Superintendent Karen Garza can be found here. Thank you for your interest!

Events

About Us

Our Children’s National Medical Center team has been contracted by Fairfax County Public Schools to develop “A Blueprint for Change” that includes several workable proposals for starting its high schools after 8 am.

New York Times As the first semester of the school year reaches the halfway mark, countless college freshmen are becoming aware that their clothes are feeling rather snug.While the so-called freshman 15 may be hyperbole, studies confirm that many students do put on five to 10 pounds during that first year away from home. Now new research […]

CDC Fewer than 1 in 5 middle and high schools in the U.S. began the school day at the recommended 8:30 AM start time or later during the 2011-2012 school year, according to data published today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Too-early start times can keep students […]

Check out Children’s National Medical Center’s Dr. Judith Owens discuss school start times in Fairfax County, VA and address adolescent sleep deprivation on National Geographic Channel’s feature “Sleepless in America”. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/sleepless-in-america/videos/school-start-times-and-adolescent-sleep-deprivation/